Golf In The Triangle, Fore!

Whether you’re a scratch golfer or if you’re just looking to have a few beers while playing a quick nine you need to know where to spend your money when it comes to green fees for certain occasions. Every golfer is different, some like to find the most challenging courses to sharpen their skills and some just want to relax and breeze through eighteen holes so they can get back home to the wife and kids.

One of my favorite things to do is find a twilight tee time on a weeknight and go out by myself to play as many holes as the sun allows. It’s like therapy, just me, the smell of the grass, the sunset, and some classic rock blaring from the golf cart while I tee off hole after hole. I’m aware this is a unique perspective. Most would prefer the chatter and acknowledgement of another player when they flush a driver or pure an iron but I’ve always preferred the silence of the course. Although I love my solo twilight bouts with some of my favorite courses, that is not the purpose of my blog. The purpose of this blog is to let you know where to play the best public courses in The Triangle for certain settings. I’m not going to take my five-year-old nephew to Heritage and hold up every group behind us because he wants to tee off the tips, the men’s, and the lady tees just because he likes the different colors of the tee boxes. So, here’s a few scenarios on which public courses to play based on the pairing and purpose of your tee time.

Golf for the kids and family...

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I love golfing with my family and nephews. The focus for these tee times is to allow the kids to enjoy their time on the golf course. You should be looking for an easy, none crowded, and a dare I say, a lack of etiquette type of golf course. A course that allows jersey shorts, or tee shirts, or three carts on the first tee box. The course I choose in this scenario is most definitely Brevofield Golf Links in Wake Forest. It offers a farm course layout with the benefit of working on your tee to green while entertaining the kiddos. What do you do if a group behind you gets impatience because the kiddos are taking too long? Just waive them to play through, patrons who play at Brevofield understand that this is a course that allows and welcomes families and kids. Another course that shares these same characteristics is Paschal Golf Club in Wake Forest.

The Regular Foursome...

This is the group where you have a rotating nucleus of players. Usually, six to eight guys or gals, and due to work schedules, travel, responsibilities, and just all-around availability you have rotating foursome. Here are some of our favorite spots to tee it up. RiverRidge Golf Club in Knightdale, solid rates, close to Raleigh, and well maintained. Next, The Neuse Golf Club in Clayton. The Neuse Golf Club isn’t convenient, but it makes up for the inconvenience with the layout. Par fives are reachable in two thanks to the downhill tee shots but you can easily get in trouble off the box thanks to the narrow fairways and slopes on the course. The Neuse Golf Club is possibly my favorite on this list. Last, Pine Hollow. This course borders on taking out business partners, potential clients, and future father in-laws but because I usually play here with my usual group, I’ll keep it on the “regulars” list. There’s nothing but great golf courses in the state of North Carolina so I’ve purposely left off courses like, Tobacco Road, Pinehurst, The Cardinal by Pete Dye, and Bald Head. If you’re looking for a special occasion and some travel, these courses fit the bill.

Business Partners, Clients, and Potential Clients...

If you have business partners or clients coming into town for golf and to talk shop I believe there’s a couple must hits. The Triangle is known nationally as a dedicated college fan base. Some cities are baseball towns, some are football towns, and Raleigh is a college sports town. I recommend using this to your advantage and booking one of the many college university golf courses you have access to. Lonnie Poole is North Carolina State’s University layout. Long, challenging, but it’s an experience. You can’t go wrong booking a tee time for your associates with Lonnie Poole’s layout. It’s a spectacle for anyone who appreciates golf architecture and most likely it will lead to many laughs caused by how horribly the group scores. UNC Finley is the University of North Carolina’s home course and it’s solid. If you say University of North Carolina anywhere in the country people tend to pay attention. This course is great but if you’re looking for a nice patio to have lunch on before teeing off for you second eighteen this probably isn’t the spot for you. Duke University Golf Course is amazing and wellkept, but it’s a tough track. If you’re teeing up with +18 handicaps it might be best to go elsewhere because the thick rough at Duke will make even the best golfers look ridiculous. Lastly, Heritage Golf Club. A great patio for lunch and beers with the amenities of a top-notch private course. It’s convenient if you live in Wake Forest and offers a challenging course, some of the best kept greens, and plenty of water hazards for you and your group to see a few splashes.

Public Golf Courses in The Triangle and surrounding areas truly is a luxury North Carolina has to offer, so whatever your reason to get out, make sure you choose the right setting for the occasion. If anyone wants to talk some Real Estate, listen to some classic rock, and enjoy a round of golf, give me a call.

Ryan Buscher Kima Real Estate Group 303-570-4380